Reality Sucks
by Fighter-Zell
Summary: R for violence and language. As Jackson grows accustomed to life, scerets are revealed and the plot thickens...
1. Chapter 1

Reality Sucks  
  
  
  
*Disclaimer: I don't own Bloody Roar or any related characters, they belong to Hudson.  
  
*Notes: This is a little side project I'm doing to get my mind off my other main project, soon to be uploaded.  
  
*Notes 2: Please R&R this, and if I get a positive response, I'll keep going. Oh, and rest assured, later chapters will be,u much/ u longer.  
  
Prologue  
  
Jackson O'Brian never knew. He never suspected or even thought. He didn't know who the hell Tylon was, or what a zoanthrope was, until that one night. The one night that reality as he knew it was shattered into million pieces and stepped on. Little did this boy living in Canada know that he would soon be in Japan, fighting in friendly comptions and deadly battles alike. But he would soon find out....  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Dammit, I've gotta return these movies before 7, or I'll have late charges! he thought.  
  
At 18 years old, money was a big problem for Jackson O'Brian, so he wanted to avoid late fees as best he could.  
  
Jackson was a just a regular kid... he went to school, he had a part-time job, and he had dreams. His dream was to visit Japan some day and learn the language. But at the rate he was going, he'd have enough money for his trip by the time he was 50.  
  
He went outside for a moment to check the temperature. It was very warm out, which didn't seem right for mid-February in a northern Canadian city, so he turned on the T.V. Unless someone was playing some sort of joke on him, it was 8*c outside.. the little snow that they had was quickly melting into puddles.  
  
Woah, it's mid-February and 6:30 at night.. it should at least be freezing out  
  
But he wasn't one to complain when a burst a nice weather hit, so he grabbed a light sweater and went out the door.  
  
He came back in a few moments later, realizing that he'd forgotten the movies. He had been sick the past few days with a heavy chest cold and cough, so he was delighted to get out of the house for a little while.  
  
He picked up the movies, then decided to take his CD player. Not liking his headphones, he wore a worn-out cap to keep them in place.  
  
He pressed 'play', then locked the door behind him.  
  
Jackson was listening to some Nickleback, relating to the songs because his own father had left when he was only 6 months old, now living in America with a wife and kid.  
  
He didn't like his step-brother very much, but he didn't like his step- mother or father even more. Jackson, his mom and sister had been living in this city for as long as he could remember, struggling to make ends meet while his step-family lived in the lap of luxury. He really resented his father for that, and was partially envious of his brother, but didn't dwell on it. His sister was just getting out of university, now able to work and live by herself, and Jackson had his own job, which made things much easier on his mother.  
  
He walked across some backyards, through a lane way and down a hill. He crossed a busy street, then down a path beside a creek. In about 10 minutes, he was at the small movie rental store. Walking in and smiling at the owner, he placed the movies on the counter and left.  
  
He stopped for a moment to take in a breath of fresh air. Bad idea.  
  
The exhaust from a passing car found it's way into his lungs, sending him into a coughing fit.  
  
Damn, I gotta get rid of this cold  
  
Jackson retraced his path back home, and found his batteries dead while walking next to the creek.  
  
Because he hated not being able to listen to music while walking, he always kept a spare set in his pocket. He knelt down to change them, then stood up to be on his way. But instead of the empty pathway, he saw a group of 6 or 7 guys standing infront of him.  
  
"Hey kid," the leader of the group said, "that's a mighty fine piece of 'tech you got there. How about givin' it to us?"  
  
He looked around, finding that the gang has formed a semi-circle around him.  
  
"Um.... I'd rather not" he said slowly while backing away.  
  
One of the other guys whispered something into the leader's ear.  
  
"Hey, Jonny's right. Shoot first, ask nicely later."  
  
"Shoot?"  
  
The leader gave him a evil grin, then pulled out a shining gun from a pocket. Because of the dying light, he couldn't tell if it was real or not. He cocked the gun, confirming that the nine-millimeter was indeed real.  
  
"Hey, hold on a second, I don't wanna fight or anything, I'll just give you the damn thing!"  
  
The leader leveled the thing at Jackson.  
  
"But where's the fun in that?" he said before squeezing off a shot.  
  
Jackson gasped as he felt the hot lead tear though his gut and get lodged there. He stumbled back a bit, but didn't fall over, for he felt a strange power flowing though his body.  
  
"The fuck? The dickhead should be dead!" Jonny said.  
  
The leader changed his expression of surprise to one of twisted pleasure.  
  
He fired 2 more shots, hitting him in the same place.  
  
Yet Jackson didn't fall over. He simply clutched at the wounds and walked towards the gang.  
  
Mr. Leader dropped the weapon in absolute shock.  
  
"Guess we'll have to kick your ass the old school way!"  
  
3 of the guys turned and ran, but Leader, Jonny and another stayed behind.  
  
Leader and Jonny advanced on Jackson, but the third had a little more sense.  
  
"Dude, you shot him 3 times! What if he's one of those animal freaks like the ones we heard about in Japan?"  
  
The zoanthropes in Japan had been on T.V a few times, but so far, there were no reports of any in North America.  
  
Thinking about this, the reality of the situation hit him. He had just been shot 3 times, yet the pain was mear throbs in his side, and he was able to walk.  
  
While he was off thinking, Jonny had gotten close enough to give him a solid kick in the ribs... now animal instincts started to kick in, and he wasn't able to think clearly anymore.  
  
Bad.. men.. hurt me, defend!  
  
A strange feeling washed over him, as well as a wave of raw power. He started growing, muscles bulging, fur growing, face changing. His over- sized beige pants were now very tight, and his shirt was torn to shreds.  
  
After the transformation, he looked at his hands, or to be more accurate, his paws. His arms were covered in snow-white fur, and his senses were increased ten-fold. Jackson stumbled over to the creek and looked at the water's reflection. He saw a very ferice looking Arctic Fox looking back at him.  
  
My god.. I'm a zoanthrope? How the hell? This isn't possible! I was never an experiment anywhere, so.. could I have been born with this?  
  
He tried to speak, but found that he no longer had any vocal cords. Because of his enhanced vision, he saw Leader pick the gun off the ground.  
  
"Die you animal freak!" he said in a fear-filled voice.  
  
He fired, and hit only empty air, as Jackson was flying towards him faster then he could react. He unsheathed his claws and raked a line of crimson across the guy's chest, then broke his arm. The 9 millimeter clattered to the ground as he screamed out in pain and surprise.  
  
Jonny tried to take advantage and get Jackson from behind, but he whirled around, catching Jonny in mid-air, as he was trying to jump-kick the fox in the back.  
  
Almost like an old cartoon, Jackson used Jonny's momentum to swing him into a tree head first. He heard a sickening crunch as the former gang member's neck snapped.  
  
He turned his attention to the leader, who was now trying to dig a knife out with his good arm.  
  
"The... fuck are you?" Leader whimpered.  
  
Your worst nightmare  
  
Jackson pulled his arm back, then punched the gang member in the wind pipe, collapsing it and killing him almost instantly.  
  
The guy was on his back, his trenchcoat parted. In various pockets were all sorts of home made explosives as well as more ammo for the gun.  
  
A few moments later, he reverted back to human. Jackson surveyed the carnage, almost not believing that he'd done this. His pants were baggy again, his shirt nonexistent.  
  
Answers. I need answers! Was I born with this? Am I the subject of some sort of experiments? Why was I never able to do this before?  
  
One side of him was appalled by this, but the other side had..... ienjoyed/i the fight.  
  
I... gotta get home He though, backing away from the ugly scene. He turned and ran all the way home.  
  
He quickly unlocked and opened the door, leaning on it. He took short, shallow breaths to calm himself, but that wasn't working. Jackson walked into his room and put on a new shirt, all sorts of thoughts running through his head.  
  
He heard the door open, and found his mom in the living room, taking off her shoes infront of the door while it was still open.  
  
"Hey mom.."  
  
"Hi Jackson! Did you return those movies?"  
  
"....... yeah."  
  
She put a look of worry on her face.  
  
"Jackson, is there something wrong?"  
  
"No, there's no-"  
  
Through the open door, he saw a large truck pull up and stop infront of his house. A window rolled down, exposing the barrel of an assault rifle.  
  
His eyes widened, his pulse quickened and adrenaline pumped though his veins.  
  
The assailant opened fire, spitting rounds through the door and windows. He was forced to watch those rounds rip through his mother's body.  
  
"NO!!!"  
  
Once the rifle's clip was empty, the window rolled back up and the truck took off.  
  
Jackson rushed to his mother's lifeless body. He took her wrist. No pulse.  
  
He slumped to his knees, tears flowing freely from his eyes.  
  
"Why? Why did they kill you? Oh god, they were trying to kill me! I should be the one dead!"  
  
He ran over to the phone, where he called paramedics and police.  
  
The rest of the night was simply a blur, with the emergency teams asking him question he barely could answer with guilt choking him.  
  
The next day, he called his sister and told her the news. She was as shocked as him, and came rushing back into town. He also worked up the courage to call his father. He told him the whole story... but his dad didn't seem to be too choked up about it.  
  
"So, you'll be coming to live with us then?  
  
"What? No, I won't!"  
  
"Jackson, son, I know what's best for you, so get packed up and we'll send you a ticket."  
  
"Dad, I'm 18, legally an adult. I don't have to."  
  
Mr. O'Brian put a more commanding tone into his voice.  
  
"Jackson, you ,iwill /i be living with us. I'm your father, and I know what's best!"  
  
"No. Father is a name you haven't earned yet. I'm going to Japan to find some answers!"  
  
"Japan? This was about a gang! What's in Ja-"  
  
He slammed the phone down on the receiver, cursing that day.  
  
A more logical part of his brain kicked in.  
  
Why am I going to Japan? Oh yes, to find those other zoanthropes, and maybe some answers.. 


	2. Chapter 2

Reality Sucks  
  
  
  
*Disclaimer: I don't own Bloody Roar or any related characters, they belong to Hudson.  
  
*Notes: This is a little side project I'm doing to get my mind off my other main project, soon to be uploaded. Konai is Sabre 220's character. I'm using her with his consent.  
  
*Notes 2: Please R&R this, and if I get a positive response, I'll keep going. Oh, and rest assured, later chapters will be much longer.  
  
Chapter 2:  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"I dunno... What do you want?"  
  
Tara threw her hands up in exasperation and stood up at the table.  
  
"Dammit, Jackson. I want to know why you're going to Japan!"  
  
"Just divide the property. Sell the house and everything in it, and give me my half."  
  
"Listen to me! The property is under my control for the time being, so I won't sell and you won't be able to go on you're happy little trip."  
  
Jackson lowered his voice to a whisper.  
  
"Tara... I can't tell you. All I can say is that in Japan, there will people who accept me."  
  
"ACCEPT WHAT!? You're a normal 18 year kid, plus you're still in school.. you just can't go running off because of.... because of... this."  
  
"NO! I'm not normal, and after what happened, I have no life anymore."  
  
Tara's voice softened.  
  
"Jackson, you're not responsible for what happened. Because you were able to identify them, those guys are behind bars for life."  
  
"It's not just that.. when they mugged me, I... I... at the creek, and that's why.."  
  
Tara's face went paper-white.  
  
"Those deaths.... were you're fault? My god, what did you do?"  
  
"It wasn't my fault! They shot me, a-"  
  
"They shot you? How did.... oh my god."  
  
"Fine. I'll show you."  
  
"S-S-show me?"  
  
David moved into the secluded kitchen and closed all the windows.  
  
He removed his shirt, shoes and socks.  
  
"Jackson? What are you doing?"  
  
He looked at her coolly.  
  
"Just watch!"  
  
Jackson focused. He thought about the anger and rage that flowed through him the first time. He thought about how much anger and pain was inside him, and started changing for the second time.  
  
In a bright flash of light, he was done.  
  
Tara looked in disbelief at the arctic fox thing in her kitchen. She stared in disbelief, she had heard rumors but had passed them off as rumors and nothing more. And yet here standing in front of her was one. She finally managed to close her mouth.  
  
Her brother changed back and put his clothes back on.  
  
"I've heard of others like myself in Japan... That's why I have to go. You handle the house and everything... I have to do some research." Jackson explained as he headed for the computer. He logged onto the internet and started searching. He left his sister to mull over the reality, he found a few message boards and left some messages. He went onto another when he got an email. That was fast.. He opened the email and read the contents.  
  
'Take extreme caution, do not tell anyone you cannot trust. Reply A.S.A.P.'  
  
"What the hell?" Jackson asked as he clicked the reply button. His return read as follows, 'What do you mean? Can you help me? What can I do?'. He waited patiently as he clicked the send button. He heard his sister on the phone in the kitchen. He quietly walked over and listened in.  
  
"Yes.... Is this Tylon?...." She asked. For some reason Jackson could hear the other end of the conversation.  
  
"How may I help you?" The operator asked.  
  
"It's... It's my brother... He's one of those animal things... I've some stuff about Tylon being able to help them.."  
  
"You've done the right thing... Don't do anything that will anger him. Give me your address and keep him in the house. We will send a team to your place as soon as possible."  
  
"What do you mean team?"  
  
"Some times they can be very violent, we need to ensure that no one is hurt. The team is specifically trained in negotiations and non-violent take downs..."  
  
Jackson couldn't believe what he was hearing, his own sister turning him in to some company. He heard message received sound and hurried to his computer. The message chilled his blood, 'Do not tell anyone, do not go anywhere near an organization known as Tylon. They are very dangerous.'  
  
Jackson couldn't believe what he was reading. He opened a chat window.  
  
'What if you already have?' He typed.  
  
'GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE!' The correspondent answered.  
  
'But where? I don't have any money or anything...'  
  
'I can wire you some money... Get out of there... I'll give you a contacts name, get to Tokyo, Japan...'  
  
'But what about my sister?'  
  
'You want to live?'  
  
'Looks like I'm gone then...'  
  
'Stay low...'  
  
  
  
The chat window closed and Jackson hurried to his room. He started packing stuff. In a few minutes he managed to get all of his major belongings packed. Tara was still on the phone. He realized he hadn't sent his back account or name. He logged back on and sent his name and bank account. He was at the door when he heard Tara calling after him. he braced himself and ran. He until he was at the bank. He stopped and took a few breaths. Not at all winded, just a little tired. He composed himself and went into the bank and checked his account. He handed the person his bank book. It came back with a mind boggling figure, $15,000, enough for a plane ticket and some other things. He withdrew all the money and stuffed it into his bag. He ran back out and flagged down a taxi. Off to the airport, which took him past his house. He saw what he had just barely avoided, vans and trucks were swarming his house, all with the Tylon name and logo.  
  
Jackson did the best he could to stay anonymous, when he got to the airport he paid the driver and hurried in. He walked up to the tiller and asked to buy a ticket. He gave her his name, he already had a ticket for a flight that was leaving in 20 minutes. He grabbed the ticket and ran up to the security check. They waved him though and he made his flight. He found his seat and collapsed into it, he had stowed his bags and relaxed. His entire world shattered in two days. He fell asleep on the plane and awoke as it started to land. He went over the note that had been included with his ticket, 'Silver hair, silver eyes'. He got off the plane and started the search.  
  
Jackson made his way throughout the airport looking for his contact. Someone in Japan had responded quickly and wired him the money. He was looking for someone who would stand out. He slowly made his way through the crowded airport, just your normal people. No one outstanding, then he made his way outside. There she was, waist length silver hair, silver eyes, an athletic build. She was resting against a black car with tinted windows. He made his way over carrying his backpack and duffel bag.  
  
"........... Jackson?" The girl asked.  
  
"What? I didn't exactly have time to learn Japanese, ya know.."  
  
"Sorry. you'll have to learn, but it shouldn't be too hard, being in Japan and all.." She said in a heavy accent.  
  
"Well, at least I can understand you. And yes, I'm Jackson O'Brian.  
  
Nice to meet'cha." He said, offering his hand.  
  
She moved her hand, stopped for a second, then shook it.  
  
"I'm Konai, also a zoanthrope..."  
  
"I figured. You'll have to fill me in on everything, 'cuz I'm sooo lost here. That your car?"  
  
"Pretty much... Welcome to the wonderfully fucked up world of zoanthropes..."  
  
"Yippee..." Jackson mocked. Konai opened the truck and then went to the driver's side and got in. 


	3. Chapter 3

Reality Sucks!  
  
Chapter 3  
  
  
  
*Disclaimer: No need for another disclaimer. There's already one on the first and second chapters. You know I don't own Bloody Roar. I know I don't own Bloody Roar. What's the big problem?  
  
*Shin is also Sabre 220's character, used with permission.  
  
*Notes: Last chapter was more of a chapter 1.5 instead of a real chapter 2, as things were simply explained and such, so without adu, the long chapter 3!  
  
  
  
Silence dominated the car. Jackson wasn't asking any questions because he was waiting for Konai to explain things, and Konai was waiting for Jackson to ask some questions.  
  
Jackson wanted to break the silence.  
  
"So what's with Tylon-"  
  
"That Tylon group is-"  
  
They said at the same time.  
  
Jackson blushed. "Sorry, go on."  
  
"No, you ask your question."  
  
"Um, Ok. What the fuck am I? I mean, what's going on? And who the hell are Tylon and why did my sister call them?"  
  
Konai heaved her shoulders.  
  
"You're a Zoanthrope. A person with the innate ability to transform into an animal. I can change into a Komodo Dragon. The person you first contacted, Yugo, can change into a wolf. There's a whole group of us who are friends - and sometime enemies."  
  
"I knew that, but how?"  
  
"Alice is better off explaining the medical junk to you, so ask her when we get home."  
  
"Ok."  
  
"Second, Tylon is an anti-zoanthrope group, wanting to destroy all of us, no matter who we were. There has been reports of anti-zoanthrope propaganda in North America, so I'm guessing that's why your sister called you in."  
  
Jackson felt sort of relieved.  
  
"I showed my sister my 'beast form' and she flipped. I knew of reports of other zoanthropes in Japan, so I went around collecting data and leaving messages on the net. That's when that Yugo guy contacted me and told me to get out. He told me he sent money, so I went to the bank, took it all out, and caught the first plane outta there. And not a moment to soon, because the taxi took me past my house, which was swamped with Tylon vans."  
  
"You're lucky. Most North American zoanthropes never make it out of their city, let alone country. Where are you from, anyway?"  
  
"Thunder Bay, Canada."  
  
"Well, take everything you remember about Thunder Bay, about Canada, even about North America, and forget about it. Push it out of your brain."  
  
"But why?"  
  
"Oohhh! Young AND innocent! I like that! Lemmie put it this way, kid. Your never going back. Ever."  
  
Jackson was visibly saddened.  
  
"Oh. I... understand. Tylon's really that bad, huh?"  
  
"No. Much worse. I can't even begin to tell you the horrors that there're involved in" Konai, said, shuddering.  
  
Jackson took this oppertunity to change the subject.  
  
"So, tell me more about this little group of yours."  
  
"Well, there's me, Konai. I was adopted by them a few years back. There's Uriko, my sister, Kenjii, her boyfriend... Alice, she's a nurse, Mitsuko, our mom. There's Yugo, the guy who contacted you and is also Alice's boyfriend, Long, our martial arts master... um, Jane, who's Long's boyfriend. Alan, who's Jane's dad and Jenny, who's Alan's girlfriend. And finally, the newest addition to our group, Shin, who's my boyfriend."  
  
"Woah, lotta relationships going on there. But you mentioned enemies.. like who?"  
  
"Besides Tylon? There's three in particular you should watch out for. Uranus, Xion and Shen Long."  
  
"Got it."  
  
The car went silent for a little while longer while Konai navigated Tokyo's packed roadways. Then Konai's shortcut turned into a traffic jam, leaving them stuck. Konai noticed that Jackson's expression was one of mixed sadness, anger and excitement. But instead of trying to pry into his life even more, she asked a neutral question;  
  
"What fighting style do you use?"  
  
"Fighting style?"  
  
"Yeah, you know, Kenpo, Kung-Fu, Tai Kwon Do, stuff like that.."  
  
"To be honest? I've been in one fight in my life. And it was the one that caused me to first change, meaning I kinda just tore 'em apart than used an actual style."  
  
"I see. Master Long can help you with that. What style would you like to learn?"  
  
"I've always wanted to learn plain 'old street fighting" He said sheepishly.  
  
"You say that like it's meant for just gangs, like a teenager thing.."  
  
"Well, isn't it?"  
  
"NO! Yugo uses that style - and yes, it's an actual style - and it's very effective. He may not be the brightest crayon in the box but oh well.."  
  
"Hey! That Yugo saved my life, and you just go dissing him behind his back?"  
  
Konai blushed, as she was getting scolded by someone 2 years younger than him.  
  
"WOAH!!"  
  
Konai snapped to attention, looking left and right to see what was wrong.  
  
"What? What?"  
  
"You're blushing BLUE!!"  
  
"Oh yes, that. I do that. You have a problem with that?!"  
  
Jackson put his hands up in a gesture of innocence.  
  
"Oh no! I think that and the silver hair and eyes are the coolest thing I've ever seen!"  
  
She was taken aback by his compliment.  
  
"You really think so? Wait a second, are you coming on to me? I have a boyfriend, you know!"  
  
I give up He thought, leaning back on the headrest.  
  
As if on cue, the traffic jam broke, and it was clear roads all the way home.  
  
"Jackson, kid, wake up. We're here!"  
  
Jackson opened his eyes, not even realizing that he had dozed off in the car.  
  
"Hey, sorry about that, it's just that I'm soo-" He said, stretching his arms, "tired" he finished.  
  
"I understand. It's in the middle of the night where your from. Jet lag, plus traveling takes a lot out of you."  
  
He shook his head to clear it then un-buckled from the car. He stepped onto an ashfault drive and found a large group of people infront of the house.  
  
They all started saying things in Japanese at him, so he just closed the door of the car and stood beside it.  
  
"Hey guys" Konai called out "You gotta speak English, he's from Canada!"  
  
They all stopped talking for a moment, then started speaking in english.  
  
"Hey kid!"  
  
"So, you're a zoanthrope?"  
  
"How old are you?"  
  
"HOLD IT!" Jackson said. "How about some introductions first?"  
  
"Sorry, Jackson. I'll introduce you." Konai said.  
  
"Everyone, this is Jackson O'Brian. He's a very lucky zoanthrope from Canada, as North America is crawling with Tylon. He'll tell you the whole story later. OK: That's Uriko and Kenjii"  
  
A pair of teenagers held up their hands. The girl winked and grabbed onto the boy's shoulder.  
  
"That's Jane and Master Long."  
  
Jane simply flicked her wrist in a waving motion, while Long bowed politely and said hello.  
  
"That's Alan and Jenny."  
  
Two of the older adults smiled and waved, then started making out.  
  
"Um, ok... Well, there's our mom, Mitsuko,"  
  
A taller woman with tied back hair smiled at him.  
  
"Shin, my boyfriend"  
  
A well built man nodded, if merely acknowledging his presence.  
  
"Finally, there's Alice and Yugo."  
  
Alice waved, but Jackson walked up to Yugo and gave him a hug.  
  
The rest of the group nearly facefaulted.  
  
Yugo backed off, shocked.  
  
"Dude, what's that all about?"  
  
"Yugo. You're the one who contacted me first. Without you, I'd be dead or worse back home."  
  
Yugo's expression went from one of shock to one of pride.  
  
"Well, I guess I did, huh? But there's one thing we all want to know..."  
  
"WHAT DO YOU CHANGE INTO?" They all asked at once.  
  
"An Arctic Fox."  
  
"WHOHOO!!" Yugo yelled, jumping around. "I win, I win, I win!!"  
  
"Win.... what exactly?" Jackson asked, eyes twitching.  
  
"Well, we knew you were zoanthrope, so we all kinda bet on what you transformed into, and I WON!"  
  
"What did the others guess?"  
  
Uriko walked over and gave him a small piece of paper with many different people's writing on it. It was titled "Bet" with an animal written beside each person's name. It read:  
  
Uriko~WildCat  
  
Kenjii~Beaver  
  
Alice~Bird  
  
Jenny~BigFoot  
  
Alan~Squirrel  
  
Long~Bear  
  
Jane~Moose  
  
Konai~Allagator  
  
Shin~Penguin  
  
Mitsuko~Hare  
  
Yugo~Fox  
  
Pot~ 6,000Y  
  
"Beaver? BigFoot? SQURREL? MOOSE? PENGUIN?!" Jackson exclaimed. "Man, there's some real stereotypes there.... KENJII!"  
  
"C'mon, just 'cuz I'm from Canada doesn't mean I'm gonna be a totally Canadian animal, geeze!"  
  
Kenjii stared at his feet while Yugo went around collecting the pot from everyone.  
  
"At least Uriko, Long, Konai and Yugo picked something COOL, even if Yugo happened to be right. Now it's time to tell ME what YOU turn into!"  
  
"A half-cat" Uriko said.  
  
"A mole" Kenjii said.  
  
"A rabbit" Alice said.  
  
"A wolf here" Yugo said.  
  
"A lion" Alan said.  
  
"A bat" Jenny said.  
  
"A lepordess, and damn proud of it!" Jane said.  
  
"A tiger" Long said  
  
"Komodo dragon" Konai said.  
  
"A dragon period" Shin said.  
  
"A wild boar" Mitsuko said.  
  
"Woah" Jackson said.  
  
"Oh, Jackson, Konai tells me you're untrained in martial arts... would you like to learn?" Long asked.  
  
"Thanks for the offer Mr. Long, but I think I'll learn street fighting from Yugo."  
  
Uriko ran up to him and pressed her hand to his forehead. Jane came in a second later and laid him on his back.  
  
"What the hell are you guys doing!?"  
  
"You said 'learn' and 'Yugo' in the same sentence. You might be delirious! Tell me, what color is the sky? How many fingers am I holding up? Where are my keys?" Uriko asked.  
  
Jackson flailed his arms to get the two girls away from him.  
  
"The sky's blue, you aren't even holding up any fingers and I don't know where your keys are! And unless anybody else uses the same style as Yugo, he seems the perfect person to learn from."  
  
Everyone blinked, except that Yugo was blinking tears from his eye.  
  
"He's defending me, he's actually defending me!! Oh thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! We can start right away!"  
  
"WAIT!!" Mitsuko yelled. "There will be nothing of the sort. The boy must be starving and tried by now. We'll go make lunch. Everyone else, you can leave if you wish"  
  
"Uh," Jackson started.  
  
There was an unanimous 'later' as Long, Jane, Shin, Alan and Jenny left.  
  
"Goodbye?" He said to car fumes.  
  
"Hey, Jackson dude, c'mon in!" Yugo called from the door.  
  
In less than a half-hour, Mitsuko and Konai had whipped up a very large amount of food for everyone. Everyone sat down at the table and started asking Jackson question, although in a much orderly way this time.  
  
"How old are you?" Uriko asked.  
  
"I'm 18, last year high school."  
  
"Got a girlfriend?" This one came from Kenjii.  
  
"No, and even if I did, it wouldn't matter anymore, 'cuz I'm here"  
  
"How exactly did you find out you were a zoanthrope?" Alice said.  
  
"Some gang tried to mug me, but when I didn't cooperate, they shot me, which caused me to change."  
  
"How did Tylon find out about you?" Yugo asked, as he was the one who saved him from Tylon.  
  
"Well, after I found out, something terrible happened. The surviving gang members killed my mom. So when my sister and I were dividing the property, and I really didn't care, she suspected something, so I showed her my beast form. Then I went searching for information on the zoanthropes in Japan, found Yugo, then found my sister on the phone with Tylon. So Yugo here wired me some money to get out of there, and here I am."  
  
"Why would your sister sell you out to Tylon?" Uriko asked.  
  
"I think I can answer that." Konai said. "It's because Tylon has flooded North American media with 'If you know a zoanthrope, call us and we can help' type messages. I bet she thought that she was doing him a favor"  
  
"Yep, that explains it. Now, Alice, I have a question for you."  
  
"Uh huh?"  
  
"How do I change? I mean, what's the biological science behind the whole transformation process?"  
  
"I don't know too much about the whole thing, but from my own research, I do know that the source is a gland in the brain. It can only be triggered after the age of 14, and the first time is always triggered by extreme trauma or anger, a gunshot wound, in your case. After that, it's under your control, all you need to do is think of that very first moment or thing that caused you to change the first time. Again, in your case, thinking back to the moment when you were shot."  
  
"So you mean that I can change simply by thinking about it? Like right now?"  
  
"Yes, but it's not a good idea to simply change whenever you want. Transforming releases a large amount of energy from the body, knocking whatever or whoever happens to be within half a meter of your body. Your clothes are shredded by the physical changes, as you must have found out. That means that it's best to wear either skintight or really baggy clothes when you think you might get into a fight."  
  
"I see. When I first changed, my shirt was torn to shreds, but my baggy pants stayed on. I think I'll wear those. Oh, one more thing; why a specific animal, like me being was a fox, or you a rabbit?"  
  
"That's more of a spiritual thing, like an animal that you made a special connection when you were young. But that's just my theory."  
  
"Sounds like a sound theory, 'cuz the only time I ever came into contact with any kind of fox was when I was on vacation up north, and rescued an arctic fox who was caught in a bear trap."  
  
"Well then. I guess that's one more mystery solved."  
  
"Hey, can you guys stop talking and start eating? It's really quite good."  
  
Alice and Jackson looked around and found that everyone else was already almost finished. They gave each other the 'man-there're-pigs' look, then dug in.  
  
After lunch, Jackson found himself almost falling on his face, and Yugo looked about the same.  
  
"So, where's he gonna stay? I mean, there's simply no more room in this house." Konai said.  
  
"What about with Jane and Long? They have plenty of room." Uriko suggested.  
  
"Um, I don't think that Jane likes me too much."  
  
"But Master Long would love it. He's always wanted a full-time apprentice."  
  
"Uh.. I'm not going to be learning from Master Long, remember?"  
  
"Oh yeah." Uriko said, head hanging down.  
  
"What about at Alan and Jenny's?" Kenjii said in a half-joking voice.  
  
"Dear god the boy's been traumatized enough already! Are you trying to kill him?" Alice yelled.  
  
"I was only joking.." Kenjii said.  
  
"Well, since I'm going to be teaching him, why doesn't he stay with Kenjii and I?" Yugo offered.  
  
No one could find anything wrong with that.  
  
"I can teach him and Kenjii could help him with his Japanese. After he learns a fair bit, I can get him a job."  
  
"That's my little wolf!" Alice praised.  
  
Yugo beamed, still happy about winning the pot earlier that day.  
  
"Well, how about we go now, so you can get settled in, and we can start training."  
  
"Good idea, Yugo."  
  
"Kenjii? You coming?"  
  
"No, I'll gonna hang out with Uriko today, and Konai said she'll give me a ride later tonight."  
  
"Fine with me. Jackson, let's go."  
  
At the door, Jackson paused and turned around.  
  
"Thanks for lunch, and it was nice to meet all of you."  
  
"Welcome" Came from everyone.  
  
"Oh, and guys?"  
  
Everyone looked up again.  
  
"Thanks for caring."  
  
Jackson walked out the door, closing it behind him.  
  
  
  
A half-hour later, they had reached Yugo and Kenjii's apartment. Yugo parked, then helped Jackson bring his stuff to the door. He juggled the luggage around while trying to dig the keys out of his pocket. He managed to, unlocked the door and led Jackson in.  
  
The apartment was a mess, and it seemed that most of the room was dedicated to gym equipment. Loose weights and dumbbells covered the floor, and dirty dishes were on top of the furniture. A radio had been left on, and was blaring Japanese music. Yugo shut the thing off, via a universal remote that was near the door.  
  
"Welcome home." Yugo said, bringing him into an empty room with sparse furnishings. There was a bed, a closet, dresser, lamp and not much else.  
  
"Yugo, if it's just the two of you, why is there a third room?"  
  
"Well, I bought this apartment after I met both Alice and Kenjii, so I got one with 3 rooms so that there would be a spare room for our girlfriends when they came over. I never expected a third person to be staying here, so I put our punching bag in here." Jackson looked over to a corner and found a large punching bag hanging from the ceiling, secured to both the roof and floor.  
  
"Also, I needed the extra room to keep my equipment."  
  
"Yugo, I really need to thank you. You got me out of my country, sent me money, and now you're letting me stay with you? Most people wouldn't even think about helping me like this. And I haven't finished school yet. I still had 6 more months."  
  
"Ah, you see, I was in kind of a similar situation when I was younger. And we zoanthropes need to stick together, you know? It was either help you, or let Tylon get another member to it's unwilling army and such. It's really no problem."  
  
"Yugo? Why does everyone diss you behind your back?"  
  
Yugo closed his eyes and let out a sigh.  
  
"It's because I didn't finish high school either. So they say I'm all brawn and no brain, strong, but not to bright, that sort of stuff. And so far, I haven't been able to prove them wrong."  
  
"But why did you quit school?"  
  
"The ZLF recruited me to lead them, and I couldn't say no. We fought against Tylon, and I'd rather not talk about it, except that's where I met Kenjii, Alice and the rest."  
  
"Hey, school doesn't measure one's intelligence. You may not be book smart, but you must be a tactical genius if they wanted you lead them at such a young age."  
  
Yugo smiled.  
  
"You're all right, kid. You're all right. Now go take a nap and I'll wake you for dinner. You still need to adjust to Japan time."  
  
Jackson yawned. "Fine with me. And I'll unpack later, and maybe help you clean up, if your up for it."  
  
"Good plan. Now get some rest, you've had a long week."  
  
*What do ya think? Good? Bad? You'll see that I make Yugo a main character in this, and I'm nice to him. Why? It's because I'm the founder of B.N.T.Y, or Be Nice To Yugo, because I'm tired of people dissing Yugo. He deserves a ::little:: credit here and there. Tell me if I said something wrong, got some background wrong, or spelled Mitsuko wrong. Thanks* 


	4. Chapter 4

Reality Sucks  
  
Chapter 4  
  
*Disclaimer - Bloody Roar, yada yada yada, I don't own copyrighted characters blah blah blah, you get the picture. Oh, the character Jackson O'Brian is copyrighted by myself, and if you'd like to use him in your fic for whatever reason, a simple email asking for permission is all I need. The character "Konai" has been used with Sabre 220's permission.  
  
*Authors Notes - Well, It's been 4 months since the last Reality Sucks chapter. I was way busy with other writing projects as well as school those last 4 months. And now THOSE projects are on hold and I'm out of school. Why bother continuing a story that's lost almost all it's appeal? It's because I guess I never really realized how much potential this story had, and I just recently got a SHITLOAD of new ideas and places to go with this. I've learned so much about writing in the past few months, this chapter should be my best yet. I'm also having a friend do a sketch of Jackson O'Brian from a scene near the end of this chapter. I'll include the URL to it if she finishes it and scans it before I'm done. Either way, you'll get to see an artist's concept of Jackson, and you'll recognize the scene that was drawn if you read the chapter first. I'm sort of glad I put this off for so long, because when I do rough notes for a new chapter, it's usually about half a page, hand written. For Chapter 4, it was a page and a half, hand written. I'm happy I found this little gem on my hard drive or else I would have dismissed it, with Jackson being forgotten forever. I'd like to thank my readers, my reviewers, and my close friends for supporting me on this. But especially my friend Kelly. Thanks for giving me the drive and inspiration to go on with Reality Sucks - This one's for you! One last thanks goes out to both Kelly and Tiger5193 for helping me come up with the name "Ayumi Satoshi" and get a mental picture of my characters. THANKS!!  
  
*Notes 2 - Oh yeah, Chapter 4 is written is pseudo-time. The total time passed during this chapter is 1 month, so I may write about something that takes place for 2 days, then jump ahead a week, and stuff like that.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
"Jackson? C'mon, wake up. It's six already, and the pizza will be here any minute now." "Mmm.. urg.. 5 more minutes..." *Knock Knock Knock* "Jackson, it's here, get up"  
  
Jackson slowly opened his eyes and gave Yugo the evil eye for waking him up. He looked at his watch, confirming that it was indeed 6 in the evening. Ugh, certainly doesn't feel like it Yugo began to speak, but Jackson held a finger up to silence him. He sniffed the air. Once, twice, three times. "What? What is it?" Yugo asked. "There is a PIZZA in this house!" "Yeah, I know. I just told you it got here." "Hey Yugo! I'm 100 yen short here, can you get my wallet?" Kenji called from the doorway. "Sure, one second." Yugo got up and found the money while Jackson rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. The nap helped, but he still wasn't quite adjusted to the 11 hour time change he'd just gone through. He stretched his arms, stood up and followed the scent of the pizza into the apartment's meager kitchen. Sitting on the table was 6 extra large pizzas. "Wow, that's a lot of pizza." Jackson mumbled. "Not for 3 hungry zoanthrope men!" Yugo said while reaching into the cupboards for some plates. Jackson rubbed his head. "That must have cost a lot. I mean you must have gotten this just for me. How often do people actually eat pizza here in Japan?" Yugo and Kenji gave him a strange look. "Now why would you say that?" Kenji asked him. "Well, I guess it's just 'cuz I expected things here to be so much more...." "Typically Japanese?" Yugo finished. "Uh... yeah." Jackson said sheepishly. Yugo just shrugged his shoulders. "Sit down and eat." He didn't see a problem with that, but then he remembered something. "Oh yeah! Yugo, since you had already gotten me my ticket out of Canada, I didn't need any of that money you wired me. I got something to eat before I left, but that was it. So I can give it all back now." "Kid, you can keep it. It's yours now. You'll need it to get started here, you know, get new clothes and stuff." At this point, Kenji was curious. "How much did he give you?" He asked. "None of your business." Yugo growled, chomping on a slice of pizza. "It was a very large amount. $15, 000 canadian dollars. I used maybe ten dollars." Kenji's eyes nearly bulged out his head. "Fifteen thousand, CANADIAN dollars? Where did you get so much money?" And it dawned on him. "Yugo, that was your entire life savings in yen!" Jackson was shocked. Yugo had just given a near-total stranger his entire life savings! That was beyond generous, and it told him something about Yugo. Like he had been in a similar situation that hadn't turned out so well, and he didn't want that happening to anyone else if he had the power to do something about it. "Yugo, that is truly honorable of you to do, but I can't accept your life savings. Once I know enough Japanese to get a job, I'll pay my own way." "But, " "No buts, Yugo. The though was very nice, but I'm going to pay for myself. Heaven knows I've already inconvenienced you people enough already. You saved my life, you got me out of my country and now you've given me a place to stay. All without even knowing me. That's good enough for me. I'll find a job, pay you back for the ticket, and pay my share of what I use here. "The ticket is on me, deal?" "Deal." Jackson said with a smile. He reached over the table to shake Yugo's hand, but it was interrupted by the growl of his stomach. "Er.. I think my stomach wants to make a deal with the pizza first. Heh." "No problem man. Dig in, we got plenty." "Ok, and all your money is in my bag, still in Canadian currency." All of a sudden, Kenji spit out the food in his mouth and burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" Jackson and Yugo asked at the same time. "I just imagined the look on the teller's face when we go to exchange fifteen thousand dollars into yen!" The mental image of a teller with huge eyes and a slack jaw came into both their minds. After a good laugh, Jackson congratulated Kenji for the joke and the three ate up.  
  
A few days later....  
  
Jackson had just spent the last 4 hours cleaning up the apartment. He didn't think that two people could make such a mess! But however they did it, he had promised help clean up. Alice had called Yugo over to 'talk about something important', and Yugo left three seconds after that. He didn't quite know what that was suppose to mean, but Yugo was very excited about it. So Jackson promised that he and Kenji would have the house clean by the time Yugo got back. Kenji didn't like the idea of being volunteered like that, complaining the whole 4 hours. But complaining aside, the apartment was finally done. Jackson was just sweeping some dust off the floor when Kenji decided to fire a penny he'd just found at Jackson. "Hey buddy, think fast!" Kenji yelled, sticking the coin between his thumb and middle finger and firing it towards Jackson's head at high speed. Jackson turned his head to see the object flying towards him. Out of instinct, he raised the handle of the broom he was holding and deflected the coin right back at Kenji. Seeing it going straight towards his own head, he yelped and ducked. *WHAM* Kenji slowly stood up and looked at the wall behind him. The coin had hit the wall with such force, it had gone clear though the wall and was lodged in the insulation behind it. "Woah." Kenji murmured. "How did you do that? I've been doing that coin thing for a year now. I had Uriko clock it with one of those Police radar gun things, and I can make one go almost 100 miles an hour!" Up until Kenji said that, Jackson was pretty impressed with himself. Now he was mad. "If you can fire it that fast, WHY THE HELL DID YOU FIRE IT AT MY HEAD!?!" But Kenji didn't seem phased by Jackson's verbal assault. The more he thought about, the more he realized that what Jackson had just done was pretty extraordinary. "Hey, can we try that again?" "What the- Didn't I just yell at you for doing that? And now you want to do it again? Are you stupid or something?" "No. Just curious." "What?" Kenji gave an exasperated sigh. "Jackson, do you think you could do that again?" Jackson shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno." "Let's try. Stand were you were before, and hold that broom again." Jackson did so, still rather pissed off. He stood there, broomstick in hand. "Are you ready?" "No, but I don't think that's going to stop you." "You're right." Kenji reached into his pocket and took out a handful of loose coins he had found during the clean up, and started firing them at Jackson as fast as he could. Forty-five seconds and fifty coins later, Jackson stood, panting and gripping the stick. "Did I hit you?" Jackson dropped the stick and patted himself down, then thought for a second. "Nope." Then he looked at the wall behind Kenji. "But I don't think Yugo's going to be too happy about the wall." "The wall? What about the wall?" Kenji asked, turning around and looking at the wall behind him. For a total mess, it was sure an accurate mess! All the coins had lodged themselves in within 30 centimeters of the first one, creating a tight pattern of holes. "Oh SHIT!" Kenji yelled. "What are we gonna do?!" "Ah, I told you this was a bad idea!" Jackson groaned, burying his face in his hands. "You so did NOT say it was a bad idea!" "Well, I THOUGHT it was a bad idea!" Kenji nearly facefaulted. Yugo was going to be pissed... Jackson slumped down against the wall while Kenji paced back and forth. "Oh man, I'm not even in Japan for a week and I already destroy Yugo's apartment...Wait! I have an idea." Jackson ran into his room. He had spent the last 3 days sleeping off the jet lag and getting adjusted to Japan time, and hadn't yet unpacked. He quickly went into his bag and found one of the few personal possessions he'd managed to grab on his way out of the country. A large, 28cm by 28cm glossy photo of him and a few of his friends. The picture was about 2 years old, and it showed because Jackson had long hair back then. If he left the frame on, it would be just large enough to cover all the holes. He ran out of his room, holding the picture up to show Kenji his intentions, and into the kitchen. There, he rattled through the drawers until he found a short nail and a length of string. He found the tape sitting on the counter, taking strips from it and taping the string to the back of the frame. Rushing back to where Kenji was waiting near the holes, Jackson decided where the best spot to put in the nail was, and shoved it in. They both winced as he hung the picture on the nail, then breathed a sigh of relief when the picture just managed to cover all the holes. "Ok, that was a good idea, but what if Yugo moves or knocks off the picture for some reason?" Kenji asked. "This is just a stop-gap measure. I'll plaster it back up and paint over it when we have more time, but since I don't know when he's getting back, this'll have to suffice for now." As if on cue, Yugo walked through the apartment's door with a grin on his face and a shopping bag in his hand. He looked around, dazzled at the spotless apartment. He turned his head slowly, taking in everything Jackson and Kenji had done, stopping at where the two were standing. They both put on an innocent-looking face and a large grin. Yugo looked at them for a second longer, then walked past them into the kitchen. He dropped the bag onto the table, and came back out to talk to them. They were still standing the exact same place, with the same look on their faces...Yugo was getting curious. He gave them an odd look, then asked, "What's with you two. Are ya hiding something?" Jackson smiled even wider and shook his head 'no'. "C'mon, you guys are acting strange. What's behind your back?" "Oh.... nothing" Kenji started. "I just put up an old picture of me and my friends. I didn't know if you would mind or not!" Jackson finished. "I have no problem. This place was pretty sparse when it comes to pictures and paintings and stuff.... Can I at least see the picture?" Kenji gave a nervous laugh, moving away and revealing the picture. "That's all? Like I said, it's no big problem. I thought you put a hole in the wall or something." Jackson and Kenji cringed as Yugo got up and went back into the kitchen. He motioned for Jackson to join him. Once they were both in the kitchen, Yugo said, "Help me put this stuff away, and I want to talk to you about some stuff that concerns you staying here" Jackson nodded, and put away the various food items, stopping a few times to ask Yugo where things went, as he wasn't totally familiar with the apartment yet. Aside from answering his questions, Yugo was silent, indicating that what he was going to talk about was pretty serious. Once the task was finished, Yugo sat down at the table, and Jackson did the same. They both were silent, until Kenji came into the room and grabbed a **Pop for you Canadians, Soda for you Americans... maybe I'll just say "Carbonated Beverage"** from the fridge, breaking the tension. Jackson was the first to speak. "So, Yugo.. What was so important that Alice needed you to come right over?" Yugo blinked at the question for a moment, then blushed bright red. "Uh.. she needed to... talk.. about... something.... important?" And then it dawned on Jackson. "OH!! She needed to *talk* about something *important!* Why didn't you just say so in the first place?" Yugo breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that Jackson had figured it out without him actually saying anything. "Uh, anyways. What I wanted to talk to you about was a job. Kenji's been teaching you a bit of Japanese, right?" Jackson nodded. "So I don't think you know that much, but that's ok. A have a friend who used to work under me in the ZLF, and now owns the supermarket that I was at. I ran into him while I was getting this stuff there, and asked him about getting you a job. He also speaks great english, so that shouldn't be a problem. The problem is customers and your co-workers asking you questions. So I suggested something, and he would be happy to have, as he put it, 'A friend of mine working for me as a nightly product replacement technician'" "Nightly product replacement technician? You mean a stock boy on the night shift?" "Your words, not mine. Besides, this is the best job possible for you right now. You basically work alone, he gives you your instructions before he leaves, and you don't have to deal with other people. Plus, his night shift workers get paid nearly double what the day shift does, and you'll get days off to train with me. What do you say?" Jackson put on a lopsided grin. "I'll take it. When do I start?" Yugo thought for a second... "Oh yeah. We can go in tomorrow, so you can meet my friend and get familiar with the store, and you'll start work the day after that."  
  
The Next Day...  
  
Jackson and Yugo arrived at the supermarket early in the morning, before the daily crowd came in to talk to the store owner, Yugo's friend. As they stepped out of Yugo's car, a large man came walking up to them. He greeted Yugo with a handshake and a nod of the head, and Jackson with a hearty slap on the back which caught him totally off guard. "Yugo, is this your fugitive friend from Canada?" He asked in a thick Russian accent. Yugo nodded. "He got here just under a week ago, and like I said yesterday, we need to find him a job." "Ah yes. Jackson was it? Allow me to introduce myself. I am Alosha Kivlov and I'm originally from St. Petersburg, Russia. Your friend Yugo here recruited me into the ZLF a few years back, and saved my life who knows how many times. I am indebted to him..." Upon hearing this, Yugo cracked a smile and shook his head. "Once all that ZLF stuff was over, I went back to Russia only to find that Tylon had established a strong presence there, and were looking for all and any zoanthropes." Jackson gasped a little at hearing that this man was also a zoanthrope, seeing how he was intimidating enough how he was. "Yes, I am also a zoanthrope, although I was never fully in control in my beast form, so I rarely used it. Anyways, I sold everything I owned back in Russia, and came back to Japan. Yugo also helped me find this building, which was nothing more than an abandoned warehouse at the time. It cost me almost all I had, but I renovated it, again with Yugo's help, and turned it into a, pretty successful at worst, supermarket. But enough about me, tell me about yourself!" "Uh, well, my full name is Jackson O'Brian, Mr. Kivlov.. there's really not much to tell. I'm 18 right now.. I was in my last year of high school when I came across this gang who tried to kill me. That's when I discovered I was a zoanthrope. After than, the surviving gang members followed me to my house and... murdered my mother. I ended up showing my beast form to my sister, who thought she was doing me a favor by calling Tylon, and when I was searching for more information, Yugo contacted me. Not only did he warn me, he got me the plane ticket out of Canada. Two weeks later, here I am." "That's a pretty interesting, and sad, story. I feel sorry that something that horrible can happen to such good people. But this isn't a soap opera here, so tell me, do you have any kind of experience in this sort of thing?" Jackson's saddened expression seemed to light up a bit. "Well Mr. Kivlov, that I do. Before I left, I had a part-time job working in a small grocery shop. I was doing basically the same thing, except the only difference is that this place is much larger." "Ah! Perfect! Even if you weren't a friend of Yugo, I probably would have hired you. Most of the kids who apply here have no experience in the slightest, and if I do end up hiring them, expect to be paid like their the most valuable employee here! Having said that, I do expect you to follow instructions and not mess around, you got that." "Yes, sir. I've no choice but to work hard - There would no point. This is probably my only chance for a job, not knowing any Japanese yet. I thank you for even considering me.." Alosha smiled and rubbed the back of his neck, not used to being thanked very often. "No problem, kid. And you can drop that 'sir' and 'mr' stuff. Call me Kiv, everyone else does!" "Oh, ok, Mr. Kiv" Kiv chucked a little and stuck out his hand. "Jackson, your hired!" Jackson smiled brightly and shook his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Kiv, I'll be sure to work my hardest!" "You start 'training' tomorrow at 9pm, when it's not so busy. I'll give you a tour of the store and show you your duties, then the day after that, you'll be working the 11pm to 7am shift with two other guys. I'll see you tomorrow, I have a store to attend to!" With that, Kiv ran back into the store, waving to Jackson and Yugo. Before getting back into the car, Jackson turned to Yugo. "Boy, that went well. He's a lot nicer than he looks!" "Heh, he looks like a monster from the outside, but on the inside, he's just a big teddy bear.. and I mean that quite literally." "Oh." "So how about we get some breakfast before we start your training?" "Great! Wow, I really feel better having this job now. I don't feel like such a.. burden.. anymore."  
  
Later that day..  
  
"Block, block! Now see, you could have attacked there, because I wasn't defending myself. Good! Do it like that, but try and get a little closer so you don't throw yourself off balance if you over-extend a punch." Jackson inched his body a little closer to Yugo, and took a few more swings. He tried a light blow to Yugo's left side, then a strong one towards his gut, hoping to make him block the first attack and miss the second. Yugo anticipated it, and as he blocked the stomach punch, saw an opening in Jackson's defense. He demonstrated his weakness by punching him in the chest just hard enough to knock Jackson off balance, then hooked his foot around his ankle and brought him to the ground.  
  
Jackson got up, rubbing his rear on which he had fallen on. "That was a nice combo, in theory, but as you can see, it left you open for a counter attack. The best fighters, of any style at all, know the right balance of offence and defense. You've got the natural skill, but you seem to fight either offensively, where you don't defend at all, or defenceivly, where you don't attack at all. The reason why I use the 'street fighting' style is because it doesn't use a specific style at all. You do the moves you are able to do already to the best of your ability, and you use that to your advantage. While your opponent might fight you, knowing the strength and weaknesses of many different styles, tries to figure out which style you yourself are using, and exploit that, he cannot. There are never one type of kick that will lead into another type of punch. So as far as they know, you are fighting at random, with no style. Think of where 'street fighting' got it's name. A bunch of people from different gangs get into a brawl. Not one of them have been to a martial arts class in their lives, but have been fighting with what they knew for a large part of their lives. If you could describe the 'street fighting' style in another way, I would say it is fighting with random style and technique. This is how you must think. Not 'what am I suppose to do next', but 'what will work the best next' You got all that?" "Yes, Yugo. I think I understand now." "Wait a sec!" Uriko called out from where she was sitting in the yard. After breakfast, the two had come to Mitsuko's house to train in their backyard, because Master Long's gym was far away, and Yugo wanted Jackson to get to know the rest better. Uriko waltzed right up to Yugo, pressing a finger to his chest. "You mean that even if I was a master of Kenpo, I still couldn't beat you, just because you fight at random?" "That's not what I meant at all. Obviously, it comes down to skill level. Even if Jackson here knew you used Kenpo, and was defending against a blow from you, doesn't always mean he will make the right move to block it. For all he knows, it's a single blow, when in reality, it might be a multiple hit combo that you could carry through to hit him, even if he blocked the first one. If I was better than you, I would know it was a multihit combo and would be able to block ALL your attacks. Do you get it now? Street fighting is kind of an anti-style style. If the right person with the right skill knows it, he could cancel out any sort of technical advantage of the opponent, and it would be an even fight." "I kind of get it, but what do you mean by canceling out a technical advantage?" "Here, think of it like this; two kids get into a fight in the school yard. One has been taking Tae Kwon Do classes for two years, the other one has not. What street fighting is would be like if that other kid, with no training, was able to take away those two years of training, and make it a fair fight, where the winner would be the one with the most natural strength and skill. If a gang member who's been street fighting for two years, had to fight that same kid, but now has SIX years training, the kid with the training would win. Now do you get it?" Uriko's eyes lit up with understanding. "Wow, ok, now I see how that works. That's really cool!" Yugo looked at Jackson, who had been listening intently. "I think that's enough for today. Think about what I said, and we'll try again on your next day off. By the way, Kenji said something about you being good with a sword. Judging by the way you move, I'd have to say he was right. We'll see." Jackson nodded, and a few moments later, Alice appeared from the back door and called them in for lunch.  
  
A few minutes later, Mitsuko, Uriko, Alice, Yugo and Jackson were all seated at the table, looking at yet another elaborate meal Mitsuko had prepared. They chatted about how Jackson was going about his training, how he had gotten a job and things of the sort. Jackson felt good, having these people wanting to be involved in his future, talking about him. He felt welcome for the first time in a long while, in a world that wasn't quite as accepting. After the meal, Jackson helped clear the dishes, and Alice announced she had to go get ready for work. A few moments after they finished loading them into the most technical- looking dishwasher Jackson had ever seen, Alice came down the stairs in a cute nurse's outfit. He had to keep himself for staring, because someone in an outfit like that demanded attention. Yugo, not being as polite, let a loud wolf-whistle out, making Alice embarrassed. "Yugo! You see me in this almost every day! Why do you still insist on doing that?" "Because, my dear, everyday you look better and better in it!" Yugo said with a grin. He got up and walked to the door with her. Just before she left, Yugo pulled her close and gave her a long kiss. She left the house, saying "Boys will be boys, but wolves will be wolves!" All of a sudden, Jackson realized he was missing something. Sure, he now had new friends and a family of sorts who had accepted him without question, but he sill felt lonely in a way. There was a place in his heart, and he didn't know who or what it was for.  
  
The next month flew by. Jackson went for his training at work, and had thus begun his night shift work. He fell into a routine, working till morning, sleeping till the evening, sleeping and training with Yugo. His knowledge of Japanese got better, and he found it easier to communicate with his co- workers when he needed help and such. Likewise, his combat skills grew astronomically. Every time he sparred with Yugo, it seemed like he had a new trick up his sleeve. Every once in a while, Yugo would make Jackson go into Beast form, and showed him things and abilities he normally couldn't do. Being of the same genus, Yugo was able to show him some trademark wolf moves that no other person or beast could do. He learned to use his claws and fangs effectively, and how to retain strength when returning to human. Every once in a while, he would be invited to the movies with Alice and Yugo, or go with Kenji and Uriko. He spent much of the time where he was not training getting to know everyone. Alan and Jenny were usually nowhere to be found, not that they had any interest in him in the first place. Once Master Long had heard about Jackson's incredible skill, he asked him to come with Kenji and Uriko to their Kenpo lesson. Jackson ended up picking up a few finer points of the style. But what really made his entire month was the fact that Jane, of all people, had seen him spar, and complimented him on his talent. Although he felt great, being a part of these people's lives, he still missed his mother, sister, and everything he had left behind in Canada. His friends probably thought he was dead by now, and with no one to tell them different, that's what they would always believe. And there was still that special something place in his heart. No matter how much good seemed to have come from the bad, there was always that place. Nearing the end of the month, Yugo had presented him with a gift. A long, rectangular box, that seemed to weigh a lot. On top was a card, signed by almost everyone. As he lifted the cover and removed the extra padding inside, a little part of his mind yelled in joy. It was something he had always aspired to have. It was a sword. It was 48 inches long total, the handle was simple yet complex at the same time, with ornate carvings in it's heavy metal surface. The blade was straight, double edged stainless steel. It shone with the look of polished chrome, reflecting his amazed image back at him. The black and red scabbard resting beside it was equally as impressive, with many intricately painted dragons surrounding a phrase in Japanese characters. It had also come with a special belt that the scabbard could be attached to. Jackson picked the sword, marveling in it's deadly beauty. He swiped it around a few times, very carefully, before placing it inside it's sheath and putting it back into it's box. Jackson looked at Yugo, who seemed glad to have been there to see his reaction. "I don't even know what to say. It's a sword. An honest to god sword. It must have been so expensive..." "Well, I won't lie to you., it was. All we could find in town were traditional Katanas and Ninja short swords, so we had this one custom made. But don't worry, everyone chipped in so it's not like one person paid for it all." "Are you sure I'm ready for this? I mean, I've only been training for a month, and I've never used a sword before." "Jackson, listen. You are advancing faster than any one of us has ever seen, including Master Long. I think you are ready for this, and from what Kenji told me, you were ready for this long before now. So, please accept this gift, from all of us, to you." "I... accept it. Thank you, I'll cherish it forever."  
  
It was the last night of the month, January 31st, and the night before his 4 days off. Jackson got up late afternoon, which seemed like any other afternoon, except Yugo wasn't there. Nor was Kenji. Jackson didn't think anything of it, and as he rummaged through the kitchen, he found a note. It read: Jackson - I'm at the hospital with Alice right now, because she's been treating an unusual amount of women with the same injuries, and wanted me to see if I can find anything out.. so you'll have to walk to work and back home. There's some frozen pizza in the freezer if your hungry, or order something when you get home, whatever you want. Kenji is on a date with Uriko and two if his other friends, and is going to sleep over at one of his friend's house, so he won't be home tonight. Listen, I have a bad feeling about tonight, so I want you to bring your sword to work. I know it sounds weird, but I just have a hunch, and I've learned to trust my instincts. Bring your sword and wear your long trenchcoat. I'm being serious, so just do it to make me feel better. I'll see you tomorrow. - Yugo  
  
The strange message about bringing his sword put him on edge. Today seemed perfectly normal, so what could be the problem? Jackson got ready for work, not feeling too hungry, so he had a quick bite, and was at just at the door when he saw his sword lying out in the open. He didn't remember putting it there, and felt it as an omen. He quickly attached the belt and scabbard to his belt, and was on his way. The walk to work wasn't unusual, there was the normal homeless man begging for money, or a street vendor trying to push some expensive item on him, but that was normal Tokyo going-ons. Work was as mundane as ever, going to the back room, grabbing a box of different items and restocking the shelves. During his break, he bought himself a bag of his favorite cookies, leaving the money in a drawer. He was getting quite used to dealing with yen instead of dollars. His Japanese had advanced to the point where he could hold a very simple conversation with the others on the graveyard shift, as it was called. A while later, he put the last item from a box on the shelf, and checked his watch. It was only 3:00am. He checked with the others, and found that they were done, as well. Kiv had told them before hand, that if they happen to finish stocking early, because the customer traffic was light that day, that as long as were finished everything, they could leave and still get a full night's pay. Leaving with sleep on his mind, he clocked out and said goodbye to his coworkers, Jiro and Muashi. Feeling only somewhat sure of his way home, he stopped at every corner to look at the street names. Despite doing so, the Tokyo of the day was much different from the Tokyo of the night, and he found himself in an unfamiliar alleyway... witnessing a horrible scene. He heard the screams of a young woman, being raped by four or five different men. As he got a little closer, he could see the clear outline of various weapons a few of the men were holding towards the woman. Deciding that making himself known was not a good idea, he chose instead to sneak up behind them. He couldn't believe how close he was, and that they still didn't notice them. Jackson couldn't say anything without becoming swiss cheese in a matter of seconds, so he opted for action. He started getting closer, but the first guy noticed, pulling out an Uzi automatic. He unsheathed his sword, striking down the man in a spray of blood. The other men finally noticed him, and quickly try and put their pants back on. Jackson found that he had a few seconds, so he sheathed the sword, grabbed the woman, telling her to run, then picked up the gun and two clips off the slain man. He quickly turned and bolted, catching up to the hapless woman and running beside her. A few shots flying overhead made Jackson look behind him, finding not only the group of men chasing them but four more, all armed. Just as he thought they were about to be cut down by a slew of bullets from an automatic weapon, he saw a dumpster he had passed earlier and disregarded and shoved the woman behind it. Now a rush of emotions coursed through Jackson's mind as he cocked the weapon. He was tired of just running from them, he desperately wanted to protect this woman, but wanted to get out of it alive. The whole situation reminded him of when his mother was gunned down in front of him, and the feeling of absolute helplessness to do anything about it. But now he could do something about it. He had a weapon, he could fight them to the death! Jackson popped up from behind the dumpster, aimed, pulled the trigger and held it down. The weapon jumped around in his hand, spitting round after round of deadly lead into the group. Four men went down before the recoil made his aim falter and shots go above their heads. But still he kept the trigger down, until the gun started making clicking noises, telling him the clip was empty. Jackson sank back behind cover, letting the empty clip fall to the ground and slapping a new one in. As he cocked the weapon again, he considered going into beast form, so he would not only be able to hold the weapon steady, but would probably scare the men into retreating. He decided against it, as he would only be a bigger target, scare the women even more, and he had claws in beast form, not fingers. Return fire sprayed against the dumpster and over their heads, making the woman cower in fear. It was understandable, but Jackson wasn't about to let anything worse happen to her. Once the men stopped to reload, he came back up again, seeing as most of the surviving men were behind whatever cover they could find, leaving limbs exposed. With a touch more control this time, he bathed each of the men's cover with fire, determned to buy them some more time. Again, the clip ran dry and he was forced to duck again as the gunbattle continued. Loading his third and last clip, Jackson again waited for the oppurtunity to fire once again, and took advantage of it. He came up, trying to actually hit the men instead if just filling the air with fire, he was halfway through the clip, still not having hit anyone, when the gun jammed. A few realized this, and Jackson was barely able to duck in time from keeping his head from being ventilated. He tried his hardest to unjam the weapon, slamming the cocking handle back multiple times to no avail. Suddenly, the men's fire went from constant to sporadic bursts, with fewer weapons each time. A few seconds later, Jackson heard no more fire, and decided to take the chance, grabbing the woman's arm and running. Once they were safely a few blocks away, Jackson offered the woman his blood-spattered coat, which she gladly accepted. They walked the rest of the way to Yugo's apartment in silence, Jackson on guard the entire time.  
  
Once they had finally gotten inside the relative safety of Yugo's apartment, Jackson slammed the locks in place, and sank down against the door, breathing heavily. He closed his eyes, letting the Uzi slip out of his hands onto the floor beside him. The woman sank to the floor close to him, still wrapped up in his coat. They just sat there for a while, Jackson breathing, the woman crying. Wiping her face with her wrist, the woman tried to speak in a scratchy voice. Though her first few attempts failed, she managed to say a few broken words. "Thank... you.. sir..." Jackson opened his eyes at her words. "You.. speak english?" The woman nodded. "That'll make things a bit easier. Let me get you some water. Are you hurt?" After another failed attempt at speech, she spoke again. "Thanks... and they didn't really hurt me..." "I'm going to get you some water first, then I'll find you something other than a bloody coat to wear. And I want to check you out first." She started to protest, but didn't have the energy to do so, so she just nodded. Jackson pulled himself up with the help of a door knob, and went into the kitchen. He pulled a large bottle of cold water be had bought the day before and brought it to her. Then, with the intent of finding something suitable for her to wear, went into his room. The best he could come up with was a pair of boxers, a large T-shirt and a pair of baggy beige pants.. the same ones he hard worn during his first transformation. He brought those out to her as well. She was still sitting on the floor, so he gently took her arm and brought her into the family room, sitting her down on the couch. She was still nursing the water, but was almost all gone now. He let her finish it, laying out the clothes out next to her. "Now, take off that coat and I want to see if your bleeding anywhere. She did so, revealing that the men had removed all of her clothes when they attacked her and she had been totally naked under the coat the whole time. Although Jackson turned his head when she revealed herself, she was not bothered in the slightest. Sensing this, he quickly checked her arms and legs and around her ribs for blood. Though she had many bruises, she was not bleeding - except for one place. Jackson didn't say anything, but pointed out the small amount of blood dripping from between her thighs. When she noticed, she seemed very embarrassed. "You can use the bathroom to.. clean yourself up. Take the clothes and change in there. I'll be right here." Jackson told her, choosing his words carefully. He pointed the way to the bathroom, and watched her go. Not wanting it to get stepped on and get set off, he retrieved the gun from the floor near the door, and brought it back into the family room. He spent some time trying to unjam it once again, but he didn't know much about guns. He eventually gave up and put it on the table. It was then that Jackson remembered he still had the sword with him. He unsheathed it slowly, just looking at the blood stained blade. The blood of a man. A man trying to hurt an innocent, a man who DISERVED to die by his blade. But he couldn't kid himself. He wasn't a superhero, just a zoanthrope, and just a kid who happened to be in the right place at the right time. Without another thought, Jackson took the already blood stained coat and wiped his blade clean. It was now pure again, the blood of an evil man removed. Pure and innocent. Words that did not apply to him anymore.. The woman came out of the bathroom, interrupting his thoughts. He sheathed the sword, removing the scabbard from his belt and setting it down next to the gun. The woman looked at the weapons, then at him. In any other situation, she would have appeared comical in the oversized men's clothes, but not now. He good at look at her face. Young woman was right, she wasn't much older then him, 20 at the oldest. Now that he figured her approximate age, she needed a name, and a story. "So, um.. What's your name? Are you feeling any better?" The woman nodded her head. "My name is.. Ayumi Satoshi" She spoke in very clear english, with a trace of a Japanese accent, but not thick enough to cloud her words. "Well, I'm Jackson O'Brian, um I'm 18. How old are you?" "I must thank you again, Jackson. I don't know what would have happened if you had never come along.. I'm 19" "I don't wanna push you into this, but can I ask how this all started?" Ayumi dropped her head, lowing her voice to a scant whisper. ''I wanted out. I didn't want to be a little whole in his grand master plan. I didn't disserve it." "What?!" "I was a whore! A prostitute! I worked for him for so long. I had to deal with special customers, the ones who wanted to have their way with me. Look at the cute asian slut! Can I fuck her? I couldn't take it anymore. He made me learn english to please his North American clients and the such, the ones who wanted me to scream in a language they understood. Then, then there were the times when it wasn't enough to drug me to the point where I couldn't resist and use me. He had to transform to do it! I was tired of it. I told him I was leaving.. and I almost made it. But their men caught me.. and... then you.. and!" Ayumi broke down into tears again, leaving Jackson will only more questions than answers.. but he had to know. "Who?! Who is the one who can transform and used you?!" "The one..." She sobbed, "Named Shen Long" 


	5. Chapter 5

Reality Sucks Chapter 5  
  
*Disclaimer: Do I really need to do this again? There's been one for each chapter before this. Again, if you'd like to use my own characters, just ask me.. Konai and Shin are Sabre 220's characters, used with permission.. anything else I need to cover my ass? Nope? Ok then.  
  
*Author's Notes: Wow, one day. It's only been one day between me finishing a chapter and starting a new one. It's a new record! Speaking of records, although it took me months, I actually did 3/5ths of chapter 4 in one night, which was the night before I started this one. I already had around 2000 words down for it, in that one night (5 hours and 45 minutes, to be exact) I wrote another 5000 words on top of that, finishing up the chapter. Now, that many words in that much time may not seem like much to some people, but it was amazing for me. That should have taken me a week to do. So I apologize for the wrong words that ended up in place of the correct ones due to what the spell checker told me to put, and I was so tired that I didn't even notice. I had no one to proof-read, and so if you see something wrong, dismiss it. (An example I can think of right off the top of my head is where I put down 'whole' instead of 'whore') Um, I also apologize for the general suck quality of some of my works, or lack there of. I was going to use this summer to pull as many all-nighters as I could, seeing as how I work best at night (it's 2 am right now) but nope, I didn't do a thing. I started part 3 of another project, and started chapter 4 of Reality Sucks, but that was about it until last night. Damn, it's so close to school again, and I finally have my groove back. My sister is leaving for University two weeks from today, meaning the computer is mine 24/7. Now, I will tell you about the amazing machine known as the 'cracktop'. The Cracktop is Sabre 220's seven year old Toshiba laptop. Big deal, huh? I don't know what gives this machine it's amazing powers, but when someone starts with a story of any type, the words flow like never before. I am able to spend hour upon hour just writing, with (most likely) some J-pop playing in the background. This computer is actually addictive to work on, hence where it got it's name from. I thank Sabre 220 for letting me borrow it for all these days, as my very best works have been born here. As you can see from last chapter, I've started decicating each chapter to people. So, Chapter 5 of Reality Sucks is dedicated to Veronica, AKA Starina, for supporting me and helping me with each and every fanfic I've written to date. You don't know how much a faithful reader means to me. This one's for you. **Random Reader**: Quit with the suckage! We wanna see what happens! Oh, and this chapter is going to be much shorter that chapter 4, I can say that much now.  
  
Chapter 5.  
  
"Shen Long, huh? Konai, er, someone I know told me to stay away from him, and nothing else. Can you tell me more about him?" Ayumi shook her head. "What do you mean? You said he changed. Changed into what?" "Listen, Jackson. I appreciate your help but I don't want to talk about him, or anything that involves him, right now." As much as Jackson wanted to know what she meant by 'changed', he chose to change the subject. "Those clothes don't fit, and look ridiculous on you. How about I go to store and get you some real underwear, at least? And I'll get us some more to drink as well. Sound good?" "Yes, but are you sure going back out this soon is a good idea?" "I think if they knew where we were already, we wouldn't be standing here right now. I'm pretty sure we lost them for good back there, and the store is only a few blocks away. It'll take me twenty minutes at most." Ayumi thought for a moment, then nodded. The shirt wasn't bothering her, but the boxers she was in weren't exactly comfortable, and she was still quite thirsty. As he was about to leave, Jackson wondered if he should take his sword with him. He decided not to, because he wouldn't exactly look friendly walking into a store with a weapon hanging from his belt. He left, glancing at the clock. It was 3:35am. "Ayumi, if I'm not back by 4 am, lock the door and turn off all the lights. Got it?" She nodded.  
  
Once at the store, it only took Jackson a few minutes to gather what he needed. A package of girl's underwear, a few bottles of water and a little snack for them. He paid with a large bill, telling the cashier that he was in a hurry and to keep the change. He ran back the apartment, taking the stairs to the right floor. He down the long hall to the door, noticing a figure leaning next to it. At first, he feared the worst, then calmed down once he was able to see Konai's full figure. "Hey, Konai! Why are you here at this hour?" She glared at him for a moment. "Where is Yugo? And Kenji?" She asked him. "Yugo's down at the hospital with Alice. There was something weird going on that she wanted him to figure out. And as far as I know, Kenji's staying over at a friend's house" "Fine. You better learn to watch your back. You could get killed one of these days, or worse, someone else." "What? What are you talking about?!" And a sick feeling of realization came over him. "It was you! You were the one who took out the other guys! I thought they had just given up.. I don't know what to say.." "Don't say anything. What the hell were you thinking?! Did you really think you stood a chance against 8 armed men with a SWORD? Your good, kid, but not that good." Jackson was taken aback by her hostility. "Lets go inside, I don't wanna wake anyone up." He said, leading them into the apartment. He looked to Ayumi, who's eyes lit up when she saw him. He went to over, handing the underwear to her and putting the bottles on the table. "I'm glad your back, I was starting to get worried. Who is she?" She asked, mentioning Konai. "No one you need to know, stupid whore." Both Jackson and Ayumi were caught totally off guard by her insult. "Konai! How could you?!" "Yeah, I heard your little sob story. It's quite pathetic, really. Jackson, I have no problem watching your back, but I risked my life so that you could pull your superhero stunt and rescue a worthless prostitute. She is NOT worth my life!" "And what makes you life so much more valuable then hers or mine?" Ayumi tried to defend herself. "I didn't WANT to be one, I had no choice at the time! I was trying to get away!" "Boo-fucking-hoo, you fucked up, and now Jackson is going to be hunted down by Shen Long. Is HE worth your pathetic life?" "Konai! Why don't you have some goddamn human compassion?!" Jackson retorted. "Human compassion? What human compassion? I'm not human, and neither are you! I'm sorry if I don't want to get killed trying to rescue a worthless, disease-ridden hooker! She's no better than a RAT!" Konai yelled, thrusting a finger at Ayumi. Jackson thought it to be an aggressive move and shoved Konai back a few feet. She responded with a punch to his jaw, sending him into the floor. She walked over to his body, ready to strike him again if necessary. "Stop!" Yelled Ayumi, holding the Uzi in both hands. "Don't get any closer to him, or I'll shoot!" Konai stopped, growling, then made a sudden dash towards her. Ayumi screamed, pulling the trigger. The action was met with only a dull click as the hammer hit the jammed bullet in the chamber. Konai looked at her, then gave Jackson a long, cold stare. "This isn't over" She said before running out of the apartment and out of sight. Ayumi watched, horrified the Uzi slowly weighing her hands down. Jackson got up, looking back and forth, trying to piece it all together. "Are you ok?" He asked locking the door. Ayumi shook her head in a confirming manner, the Uzi hitting the floor after escaping her grasp. She herself followed the uzi's path except she fell to the couch. Jackson moved over and sat down, wrapping his arms around her in a comforting manner. "God.... My hell just never seems to end." She cried, her arms latching around Jackson's body. "What did she mean with what she said." "It's confusing. Try and get some sleep, I know some people who can explain it a little more clearly." He answered in a reassuring tone. Ayumi's crying slowed to occasion sniffs. "Tell me something good.." She begged. "Well, let's see. I'm from a small little city in Canada. Lovely winters, awesome seasons, all the best. Warm summers, cold winters. That kind, good city. I just hate the fact that I can't go back." "Sounds nice." Jackson nodded, reminiscing his hometown, his arm still shielding Ayumi from the world. "The people there were some of the best I've ever known. And I've traveled a lot. I think you'd like it there."  
  
Jackson continued for a few more minutes before he realized that Ayumi had fallen asleep. He silently sat there, not disturbing her deserved rest, instead admiring her face. Slowly stroking her hair to the side, he admired a lot about this woman, but couldn't disperse from his mind Konai. His mind worked constantly trying to piece together Konai's actions and words. Losing time he didn't notice the scant rays of daylight start to pierce the window and enter the apartment.  
  
Only the scratching and sound of a key unlocking the door broke his trance. Jackson looked up to see Yugo entering and turning around to close the door.  
  
"WAIT!" Kenji barked silently shoving his hand through the opening and bursting in. Jackson looked up and felt protective of Ayumi. Yugo and Kenji saw the stranger instantly and took on a look of concern when they saw the nearby Uzi and the general mess. "I can explain." Jackson answered, slowly getting up so as not to wake up his sleeping charge. He succeeded and lay her down fully on the couch and stood up stretching. "It's a long story..." He started heading to the kitchen. "I believe we have the time." Kenji answered, following Yugo into the kitchen. "Last night, when I was coming home from work. I heard noises, I checked them out and it was a gang. They were raping her. So doing what came instinctively I leapt in. I barely got out alive. I killed one of them with my sword and grabbed his Uzi. It snowballed from there, until we got here safe and sound. She, Ayumi Satoshi, was a prostitute, she was trying to get away from it all." "Then why the mess?" Yugo asked concerned. "She just freaked out." "I can explain for myself... Jackson saved me." Ayumi interrupted. "It was that other woman who caused the mess." "What other woman Jackson?" Yugo growled. "Ayumi's shaken, I don't even remember last night too well. It's a blur to me. It's just the two of us." Jackson explained, feeling horrible for lying. But he knew down in his gut that maybe it was for the best. "So have you explained anything to her?" Kenji asked moving about the kitchen getting himself some breakfast. "Actually I was hoping Yugo's lend me his car so I could take her to Mitsuko's. She seems to know the most." Jackson replied.  
  
Yugo nodded, understanding somewhat of Jackson's ordeal and handed him the car keys and giving him the silent warning. Jackson grabbed his coat and giving his spare to Ayumi. Once he was out the door he stopped for a single question burning in his mind.  
  
"What do you two know about Konai?" He asked innocently. "Enough to know that when she wants you to know something, she'll tell you." Yugo warned.  
  
Jackson took the answer as a sincere warning and followed Ayumi down to the garage. She was waiting at the bottom of the stairs and faithfully followed Jackson to the lent car and got in once it was unlocked. The beginning of the ride was silent and uneventful. She broke the silence just as Jackson was pulling into Mitsuko's driveway.  
  
"What're we doing here?" "Getting answers about a certain someone." Jackson answered back stopping the car and getting out. Ayumi followed suite and chased him up to the door, hiding in his shadow. Jackson knocked a few times and waited.  
  
The two were greeted by Mitsuko who guided them to the kitchen and provided them both with cups of tea. After hearing Ayumi's story she gladly answered all of Ayumi's questions about zoanthrope, except for one.  
  
"What's up with that Konai?" She asked naively. "I'm not one to tell. But she's been through enough." Mitsuko answered, her face a little flushed as she found something occupying. Alice came in and stepped past Mitsuko. Yawning the nurse sat down trying to collect herself after such a long shift. "So what brings the fox and a guest here?" She asked groggily. "We're trying to find answers about Konai." Jackson explained. Before Alice could answer there was a knock at the door. The three heard Uriko race to the door and greet the guest. Investigating Uriko brought the guest who was Jane into the kitchen and found the three. Jackson and Ayumi quickly explained the situation. And after explaining their reasoning for being here Alice left to the living room and Jane headed upstairs. Leaving Uriko to fill unanswered questions. "You two have to understand some things about Konai... She is far from normal." Uriko started. "Well you all are, being zoanthropes." Ayumi muttered, running her hands through her hair in a frustrated manner. "No, she's like a step further. She's from Canada, came to us a few years back. Tylon snagged her after she was disowned by her family for being a zoanthrope. The most I can really tell you without getting on her bad side is that her old name is Veronica Ross." Uriko started. Gears turned in Jackson's head, a few years ago his old math tutor had gone missing, she had the same name as Konai's but his had been allegedly been kidnapped and killed. A sharp cough interrupted everything. "Uriko, I'd appreciate it if you DIDN'T tell everyone my old name!" Konai barked. Uriko seemed to wince at the barrage. Jackson looked steadily at Konai, trying to piece it all together. "No Jackson I am not your old math tutor. I was gone a year before that. I was a willing subject for Tylon. And you are quickly losing my respect by continuing this madman hero thing! If you think you can change the world take a valium. I'm stuck with a psychotic murderous alternate personality because of my choice. I will be damned if I see you or any of my friends dead because of your ego." "KONAI!" Uriko shrieked. Everything seemed to stop in slow motion. Uriko glared at Konai and the fire within her seemed to melt. Konai's cheeks went a light hue of blue. Jackson and Ayumi could tell there was something else between those two women. "You don't have to practically kill them with verbal assaults." Konai swiped the air with her hand in a menacing gesture, bringing it to a stop pointing at Ayumi. "That rat whore pointed a nine millimeter Uzi at me and pulled the trigger! She's in one piece because the thing jammed." "I was defending myself and Jackson." Ayumi interrupted defending herself. "We've all had hell in our lives. Sorry for just getting out of mine!" "If you are out of your hell then be ready to give it all up. Because I know Shen Long, I SLEPT WITH THAT BASTARD! I know what he will do. I know what lengths he will go to tie up loose ends." Jane watched from the living room with Alice and Mitsuko at her side. Jackson and Ayumi got the feel that they had opened a few wounds that no one wanted opened ever again. Once outside and in the car Jackson looked to Ayumi. "When I first met her she seemed almost like a guardian angel. Now she seems like the devil." Jackson muttered starting the car. "You have a place of your own?" "Yes, it's on the other side of town."  
  
Jackson shrugged his shoulders. He was now on the shit list and he doubted the fact that things could get any worse. Once again the ride was silent but for a reason this time. Jackson had been set into his place by harsh reality known as Konai Mitsune. She shattered his perception along with Ayumi's and put it back together in a more painful view.  
  
Sadly for both of them they didn't expect the mess at Ayumi's apartment. The door frame was busted in and her entire apartment shredded. Things were strewn about, torn apart, burnt or utterly ruined. The two spent a deal of sifting through the apartment speechless. The berating they had taken from Konai seemed to sink in all the much more harder.  
  
"I have no reason to come back here. Those heartless bastards ruined everything." "Are you sure that nothing can be salvaged?" "Yes. I HATE THAT BITCH!" "Who?" "Konai... She's right. I'm only going to get you killed." "I don't plan on dying. Nor are you. I won't let it happen. Even if I have to hunt down Shen Long himself."  
  
**Ok, ok.. This chapter was rushed. Ok, so I didn't write most of it, either! But it cleared up a lot of things (I hope) and gave me a few more ideas on where to take this. Kudos to Sabre 220 for finishing this chapter up for me.. I was pretty much stuck. Anyways, see ya next chapter!** 


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